Feed the hungry. Instruct the uninformed. Visit the sick.
Pray for the living and the dead.
At Sacred Heart of Jesus
Parish in Winchester, these and all the spiritual and
corporal works of mercy are a permanent part of the church
atmosphere. They are inscribed on the stained glass
windows.
More than that, though, the works are present in the very
center of parish life, thanks to the community that values
reaching out to its neighbors in service and love.
Father Stanley J. Krempa has been pastor of Sacred Heart for
12 years. He describes the parish as “vibrant, but
traditional” with a strong sense of community, which he
attributes to its location in the Shenandoah Valley – an area
rich with American history and a small-town feel.
The fourth-oldest parish in the diocese, Sacred Heart dates
back to 1805, when it began as a mission of St. Peter Church
in Harper’s Ferry. In 1870, Sacred Heart was established as a
parish. The current church was built 23 years ago, replacing
one that had been in use for more than a century. Today the
parish is home to 6,806 parishioners – more than 2,100
families. (See video
profile on the parish here.)
Since its formation, the parish has spawned multiple missions
that have turned into parishes, including St. John the
Baptist in Front Royal and St. John Bosco in Woodstock.
Currently, Sacred Heart maintains the St. Bridget of Ireland
Mission in Winchester, home to 915 Catholics.
Education is a high priority. Sacred Heart Academy was
founded in 1957 and has an enrollment of 190 students. In
addition, the parish religious education program has more
than 600 students, with 100 more from St. Bridget. The parish
youth disciples program for high school students has an
average of 40 students attending regularly. Julia Carty has
been working at Sacred Heart for more than four years. For
the last three months, she has been the director of religious
education. She credits the large religious education program
to the work of more than 50 volunteers.
“Without those people, we couldn’t be as big and successful
as we are,” she said. “God bless them.”
(See
photos from last year’s Race for Education here.)
That kind of can-do spirit is common at Sacred Heart,
according to Father Krempa. Service is a priority, with
parishioners working regularly with the Congregational
Community Action Project, an interdenominational ministry
that provides food and assistance to the poor, as well as the
Knights of Columbus soup kitchen. The church also has a
ministry that visits the sick at local nursing homes and the
neighboring Winchester Medical Center, located across the
street from the church.
(See
this story about parishioner Pete Buchbauer’s life of
service)
The parish is home to organizations like the Ancient Order of
Hibernians, the Ancient Sons and Daughters of Italy, the
Legion of Mary, and the Knights of Columbus.
“It’s a vibrant community because of the organizations,” said
Sacred Heart Academy Principal Rebecca McTavish. “There are
so many things you could get involved with if you really
wanted to.”
(Read
about the school’s house system)
“The people here are so friendly,” Carty said. “At first you
don’t know anybody and it’s so easy to get to know everybody.
It’s a very warm community.”
Spiritually, the parish benefits greatly from its perpetual
adoration chapel, which has been open for the last 15
years.
“It’s a wonderful strength for our parish,” Father Krempa
said.
Father Krempa believes that warmth and quiet spirituality
makes the parish “very peaceful and a very sacred place.” He
hopes the parish can maintain those qualities as it
grows.
“When the roots are so deep in a parish, people get along
better,” he said. “There’s a basic, healthy unity among the
people (in terms of) where we’re supposed to be at the parish
and the direction in which we’re going.
“We’re trying to be a country parish in a growing city,” he
said. “As parishes get bigger, they can become very
beaurocratic. We are trying to keep Sacred Heart the way it
is.”
Quick facts
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
120 Keating Dr.
Winchester, Va. 22601
540/662-5858
Pastor: Fr. Stanley J. Krempa
Parochial vicar: Fr. Michael J. Dobbins
Deacon: Edward L. Christianson
DRE: Julia Carty
School:
Sacred Heart Academy
110 Keating Dr.
Winchester, Va. 22601
540/662-7177
Principal: Rebecca McTavish
Students: 190
Mass schedule:
Sat.: 8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. vigil
Sun.: 7:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 2:30 p.m. (Spanish),
5:30 p.m
Weekdays: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m.
First Fridays: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m.
Tues.: Miraculous Medal novena, 7:30 p.m.
Parishioners: 6,806
